<p>On New Year&rsquo;s Eve, US District Judge Reed O&rsquo;Conner blocked an ACA rule that would have forced employers to cover transgender surgeries and abortion-related services. ;</p>
<p>The rule, finalized this summer, adheres to a broad interpretation of gender, protecting those who have an identity opposite that of their biological sex. It defines sex bias as including &ldquo;discrimination on the basis of gender identity and termination of pregnancy,&rdquo; says O&rsquo;Conner. ;</p>
<p>The Department of Health and Human Services&rsquo; website explicitly states that denying transgender surgery is &ldquo;facially discriminatory,&rdquo; but many doctors point out that any surgery that removes or harms healthy sexual organs is not healthcare. ;</p>
<p>Critics argue the rule &ldquo;pressures doctors to deliver healthcare in a manner that violates their religious freedom and thwarts their independent medical judgment and will require burdensome changes to their health insurance plans,&rdquo; explains O&rsquo;Conner. ;</p>
<p>In August, five states teamed up with religiously associated medical groups to sue the Obama Administration over the transgender rule. ;</p>
<p>Citing cases in which transgender identities have changed with age in addition to a 2016 Johns Hopkins University study suggesting that people are not born transgender or gay, the five-state lawsuit insists that the ACA rule inhibits a state&rsquo;s ability to maintain authority over medical facilities and protect its standard of care. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;This [rule] runs roughshod over laws in Texas and other states that protect the independent medical judgment of doctors, which ensures the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship,&rdquo; argues Texas AG Ken Paxton. ;</p>
<p>Following Pope Francis&rsquo; statement that transgenderism is a &ldquo;global war against the family,&rdquo; the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota and the Catholic Benefits Association (CBA) filed a similar lawsuit in December.  ;</p>
<p>Judge O&rsquo;Conner granted his injunction a day before the rule would have gone into effect, saying the plaintiffs had &ldquo;presented concrete evidence to support their fears that they will be subject to enforcement under the rule.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>O&rsquo;Conner argues that the transgender policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In his nearly 50-page opinion, O&rsquo;Conner writes that the rule would have required private healthcare providers to &ldquo;perform and provide insurance coverage for gender transitions and abortions, regardless of their contrary religious beliefs or medical judgment.&rdquo;  ;</p>
<p>CBA&rsquo;s Douglas Wilson points out that the groups involved in the lawsuit are not challenging the part of the rule that guarantees care for transgenders. &ldquo;Catholic hospitals provide compassionate care to everyone, regardless of status,&rdquo; said Wilson. &ldquo;Patients experiencing gender dysphoria deserve no less.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> The transgender groups have convinced a large portion of the population that their problems are base in nature. However anyone who has thought about it knows that is not true, that likely a majority have mental issues cause by their environment. The fact that they are <a href="https://punchingbagpost.com/pediatricians-transgender-conditioning-of-children-is-child-abuse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>considering these procedures for children</strong></a> (and see also <a href="https://punchingbagpost.com/transgender-fad-rises-in-primary-school-aged-children/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>this article</strong></a> for scary attitudes) tells me it the transgender agenda is dangerous and wrong headed.</p>